Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Friday, July 1st.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 9:31.  The moon is new today, and won’t be visible.  |  Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:01.

Those fascinating bits of rock and metal that fall from the sky, called meteorites will be the subject tonight as the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society holds its monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 8 p.m.  Society member Joe Brooks has a collection of these celestial visitors, and has visited area schools with his collection.  Meteorites, for the most part,  come from the asteroid belt, bits of a planet that was destroyed or never quite formed due to Jupiter’s disruptive gravitational influence.  He has one that may be part of the asteroid Vesta that the Dawn Spacecraft is visiting this month.  The observatory is located south of Traverse City, on Birmley Road  between Keystone and Garfield roads.

* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.